Review: Manifest by. Artist Arthur

Title: Manifest (Mystyx #1)
Author: Artist Arthur
Publication Date: August 1, 2010
Pages: 256 
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 

Synopsis from Goodreads: When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City. But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

Review: Manifest, the first book in the Mystyx series, was an interesting introduction to a new series as well as a an exciting “who done it'” mystery that just keeps building and building until you have a whole list of who could be the killer.

First off let me say that I had high hopes for this book. And those hopes rested mostly on the characters that I thought would have something that made them stand out from the usually generic personalities of YA characters. Some passed those expectations and some didn’t. First off, Krystal is not your everyday character, and I liked that. Sure some may say she has a little bit of an attitude, but to expect her to be thinking about rainbows and the schools “hottest guy” every second is unrealistic. Her life has taken a turn for the unfavorable, so of course a little attitude is going to come off now and then, and going through life thinking you are a delusion ghost seeing crazy can’t help either. And as far as the other characters go…ehh. Meaning that I didn’t really find anything altogether that unique or memorable about them They all seemed to be fillers just so the plot could go a little smoother. Ricky at times proved to be a breath of fresh air, but his character too seemed a little in the background.

The plot in this book was one that grabbed my attention. It begins with Krystal meeting Ricky, the ghost in her bedroom, and then, after much negotiating, trying to figure out who killed him and clear the name of his friends. She finally succumbs to helping to try and figure out his killer when other complications come to surface. Like Ricky’s also dead girlfriend who doesn’t want to tell anyone what happened to her, even though it could probably help figure out who killed Ricky. And then Krystal starts talking to two kids from school, Sasha and Jake, and finds out that they are bear the same birthmark and have similar powers, and as they all group together to try to figure out Ricky’s killer, they learn very interesting things about their powers and their origins.

Figuring out who killed Ricky was a highlight because the plot kept on building and building. It wasn’t a mystery book where you just try to figure out who killed him from the beginning and that’s it, there are so many pieces to the puzzle that you have to try to put together and make a connection with before you can even barely narrow your suspects list. The mystery in this just got better and better

In the end, it is a book that I did enjoy. I would have loved to see Krystal’s romance blossom and be a bigger part of the story, but hey, that’s what a sequel is for!

Recommendations: If you are in need for a good mystery, this one is for you!

Overall: 3/5 Stars

Characters: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Entertainment: 4/5
Ending: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
Cover:  5/5